End member for guiding the cord in curtain-drawing gear



Nov. 8, 1966 A. WEBER 3,284,053

END MEMBER FOR GUIDING THE CORD IN CURTAIN-DRAWING GEAR Filed April 15, 1964 United States Patent 3,284,053 END MEMBER FOR GUIDING THE CORD IN CURTAIN-DRAWING GEAR Alexander Weber, Zollikofen, near Bern, Switzerland, assignor to Hans Beer, Bern, and Emma Weber-Horisberger, trading as AWEPA, Zoliikofen, near Bern, Switzerland Filed Apr. 15, 1964, Ser. No. 360,018 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Apr. 18, 1963, 4,858/ 63 7 Claims. (Cl. 254-190) The invention relates to an end member for guiding the cord in curtain drawing means having two cord-guiding channels, in which the draw. cord is reversed from One direction to the opposite direction by an end member provided at one end of the curtain rail, and is deflected from the direction of the rail to the position of operation by another end member. Where the reversal and deflection of the draw cord are effected by means of slide faces, the two cord-guiding end members have hitherto advantageously been made of a material having a low coeflicient of friction, such as a synthetic resin, but of different constructions appropriate to their specific purposes. It is therefore necessary to use different tools for the manufacture of such end members and the two end members may be easily confused when fitting of curtain drawing means. Moreover, the conventional end members are open in the direction of the base to which they are secured, so that dirt, such as dust, paint splinters, resin or the like, drop onto the guide faces thus imparing the initially satisfactory a-ntifriction properties.

It is among the objects of the invention to avoid these disadvantages by providing, particularly for curtain rails having internal runs and two cord-guiding channels, a cord-guiding end member formed with two openings which fit on the mouths of the channels, the construction of the end member being such that its open base is adapted to be closed by means of a cover, and a single outlet for both strings of the draw cord is provided in the wall opposite the closed cover, a convex surface for deflection of the draw cord being provided between the outlet and the two openings, and an at least semi-circular transverse draw cord reversing surface being provided between the closed cover and the wall referred to, the reversing surface being freely accessible for insertion or withdrawal of the draw cord when the cover is in the open position.

The subject-matter of the invention is hereinafter described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings which show two constructions of cord-guiding end members.

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a cord-guiding end member of a first construction, in which the cover of the base is in the open position;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the end member illustrated in FIGURE 1 with the base cover in the closed position;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section on the line IIIIII of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a view looking upwardly at the end member;

FIGURE 6 is a right-hand end elevation of the end member shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 7 is a vertical section through a cord-guiding end member of a second construction, and

FIGURE 8 is a plan view of FIGURE 7.

The cord-guiding end member illustrated in FIGURES l to 6, made preferably of a synthetic resin, for example nylon, is connected to a curtain rail 2, indicated in dashand-dot lines in FIGURES l and 3, and having two cordguiding channels 3 by the end wall 1 which, for this purpose, is provided with a recess 4. The end wall 1 is provided with tWo openings 5 (FIGURE 6) which fit on the mouths of the channels 37 A hinged cover 7 is secured by means of a flexible strap 8 to the opposite closed end wall 6 of the end member for the purpose of closing the upper open side 9 of the base of the end member (FIGURES 1 and 3), and for that purpose may be fixed in position under four projections 10, undercut in dovetail fashion, which are provided on the remaining part of the end member. The cover 7, the strap 8, and the remaining part of the end member together form one integral unit.

Provided in the wall 11 of the end member at a position opposite the closed cover is a semi-circular outlet 12 for the two draw strings 13, indicated in dashand dotlines, of a draw cord from which outlet the convex inner surface 14 of the wall 11 serving as a deflecting face for the draw strings 13, extends to the two openings 5. Provided between the openings 5 is an inwardly projecting semi-circular draw string-reversing surface 15, which extends from the convex deflecting surface 14 to the closed cover 7, and is disposed transversely thereto. The projection 16 projecting into the outlet 12 extends in the direction of the convex deflecting surface 14, its purpose being to keep the two draw strings 13, extending to the position at which the draw cord is operated, apart upon operation.

A bore 18, through which a securing screw may be passed, passes through the portion 17 of the wall carrying the semi-circular draw cord-reversing surface 15.

The end member hereinbefore described may be used as a curtain-rod reversing means at one end of the curtain rail, and as a curtain-rod deflecting means at the other end of the rail. In the former case, the draw cord runs around the semi-circular reversing surface 15, and in the latter case the draw cord is guide-d over the deflecting surface 14 through the outlet 12 to the position of operation. The manufacturing costs are reduced and confusion is avoided by the uniform construction of the end members of curtain rod drawing means. Prior to the fitting of the curtain rail, the curtain cord can be drawn into the cord-guiding channels 3 of the rail 2, and in the adjoining end members with the cover 7 in the open position, can be laid around the reversing surface 15, and respectively can be pushed through the outlet 12 to form the operating loop, after which the covers of the end members are closed, so that the curtain rod drawing gear can readily be fitted without risk of the draw strings becoming entangled.

The essential difference between the first construction of the cord-guiding end member and the second construction illustrated in FIGURES 7 and 8 consists in that the convex surface for deflection of the draw string is formed by a rotatable cylindrical pulley 20 which is mounted in the hollow space 21 of the end member on a journal 25 seated in the side walls 24 and extending parallel to the closed cover 27, at a position between the outlet 22 and the two openings 23, and in that the surface for reversal of the draw string is formed by a rotatable grooved pulley 26, the guide face of which is dis-posed transversely between the closed cover 27 and the wall 28 opposite the closed cover 27; the grooved pulley 26 is mounted on a journal 29 standing on the wall 28. The runs of the draw strings 30 to the position of operation in the case of defiection by the pulley 20 and, in the case of reversal by the pulley 20, are respectively indicated in dash-and-dot lines in FIGURES 7 and 8. Similarly to the first construction, the cover 27 is hinged to the remaining part of the end member by means of a flexible strap 31, and, for closing the upper open side of the base of the end 3 member, can be fixed in position under four projections 32.

What I claim is:

1. In a cord guiding arrangement for curtain cord drawings means having two cord guiding channels, in combination, an end member having an end face adapted to be located adjacent a surface of support to which said end member is to be connected, said end member being formed with a cavity having an open end at said end face and extending from said end face into said member and being extended at one side of said cavity into a pair of spaced openings respectively adapted to be aligned with said two cord guiding channels, and a single outlet opening extending from said cavity through a wall portion of said end member opposite said end face thereof; a cover and a flexible connecting member connected at opposite ends thereof to said end member and said, cover, respectively, so that the latter is movable between a closed position extending over said cavity and an open position providing access to the interior of the cavity, said flexible connecting member, said cover and said end member forming an integral unit.

2. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said integral unit is formed from plastic material.

3. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, and including a plurality of projections projecting from said end face and being formed with undercut portions in which edge portions of said cover are located for holding said cover on said end member.

4. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said cavity is partly defined by a convexly curved guide surface between said openings and said outlet, and means located between said openings and extending between said cover and said guide surface and having an at least semicircular draw cord reversing surface.

5. An arrangement as set forth in claim 4, wherein said outlet is in the form of a semi-circular slot extending through said wall portion.

6. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, and including a convexly curved guide surface in form of a rotatable pulley between said openings and said outlet for deflecting draw cords passing through said guide channels toward said outlet.

7. An arrangement as set forth in claim 1, and including a draw cord reversing surface in the form of a rotatable pulley mounted on a journal projecting from said wall portion substantially normal to said end face.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,718,922 9/1955 Fetter 160-344 3,129,751 4/ 1964 Weber 160-345 FOREIGN PATENTS 917,397 2/1963 Great Britain.

EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

I SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Examiner. 

1. IN A CORD GUIDING ARRANGEMENT FOR CURTAIN CORD DRAWINGS MEANS HAVING TWO CORD GUIDING CHANNELS, IN COMBINATION, AN END MEMBER HAVING AN END FACE ADAPTED TO BE LOCATED ADJACENT A SURFACE OF SUPPORT OF WHICH SAID END MEMBER IS TO BE CONNECTED, SAID END MEMBER BEING FORMED WITH A CAVITY HAVING AN OPEN END AT SAID END FACE AND EXTENDING FROM SAID END FACE INTO SAID MEMBER AND BEING EXTENDED AT ONE SIDE OF SAID CAVITY INTO A PAIR OF SPACED OPENINGS RESPECTIVELY ADAPTED TO BE ALIGNED WITH SAID TWO CORD GUIDING CHANNELS, AND A SINGLE OUTLET OPENING EXTENDING FROM SAID CAVITY THROUGH A WALL PORTION OF SAID END MEMBER OPPOSITE SAID END FACE THEREOF; A COVER AND A FLEXIBLE CONNECTING MEMBER CONNECTED AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF TO SAID END MEMBER AND SAID COVER, RESPECTIVELY, SO THAT THE LATTER IS MOVABLE BETWEEN A CLOSED POSITION EXTENDING OVER SAID CAVITY AND AN OPEN POSITION PROVIDING ACCESS TO THE INTERIOR OF THE CAVITY, SAID FLEXIBLE CONNECTING MEMBER, SAID COVER AND SAID END MEMBER FORMING AN INTEGRAL UNIT. 